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Properly fueling ourselves with the right amount of energy is important to health and well-being. Most of the time this topic is discussed in the context of eating less to lose weight but understanding the topic of energy balance goes far beyond weight loss and losing weight.
So, in this article, we'll discuss the topic of energy balance: beyond weight loss. We'll address what energy balance means, why it's important for our long-term health, the various aspects that contribute to energy balance, why it's harder for some people to lose weight, break down common weight loss myths, and more.
So, let’s start with a simple definition of energy balance.
What Is Energy Balance?
Photo by Jason Briscoe on UnsplashEnergy balance is the difference between the amount of energy that your body is using for fuel and the amount of energy that you consume through food.
Energy Intake – Energy Expenditure = Energy Balance
If you expend more energy than you consume, you will be in a negative energy balance and you will lose body mass.
If you consume more than you are expending, you will be in a positive energy balance and you will gain body mass.
If you are consuming the same amount of energy that your body is expending, you will be at maintenance and your body mass will stay stable.
There are people who attempt to disagree with this concept for various reasons we will discuss. However, at a foundational level, it really is that simple. In practice, it gets MUCH more complicated which is why it is important to understand the various factors that can impact this energy balance equation, so it doesn’t feel like an unsolved mystery. Which is what we are going to help you do with this article.
But first I want to get one of the biggest sources of frustration for many people out of the way which is unexplained weight fluctuations.
Weight Fluctuations Explained
Photo by Jennifer Burk on UnsplashThe first thing I want to get out of the way is daily weight fluctuations, as I know these can be very frustrating for many people. These day-to-day fluctuations ARE NOT DRIVEN BY CHANGES IN BODY MASS, but instead are mostly driven by fluid retention. These can drive substantial changes in scale weight (up to 5%) despite no actual mass changes.
Extra water retention can be caused by eating lots of sodium or carbohydrates, Intense exercise, stress, hormonal changes, and lack of sleep. Each of these factors can contribute to our body holding onto extra water, which can cause the scale to go up overnight.
These fluctuations can be a huge source of stress and frustration for someone who tracks their body weight and doesn’t understand them.
This is why it is very important not to get caught up in single-time point scale measurements. It is instead better to take your weight under the same conditions (e.g., right when you wake up) on multiple days and track averages over time which will give you an accurate picture of your true weight. If you are trying to make modifications to your body weight, I recommend either weighing daily or on a few set days during the week (M, W, F) to get an accurate picture of your current weight and weight changes over time.
A scale that is connected to an app that will keep that information stored for you can be a useful tool here. This is the one that I have used and recommended in the past. It is inexpensive and has an app that will track the data automatically for you: https://amzn.to/3xTznTL
Tracking weight is not something that I recommend everyone do. If you don’t have a good relationship with the scale and your weight, then it may not be best to track at this time. However, the information does provide feedback about energy balance and is a useful tool for anyone who wants to make modifications to their body composition.
Now that we've gotten that part out of the way, let’s discuss energy and body mass changes. We will start by discussing the basic unit of energy: calories.
Calories are a Unit of Energy
Photo by Helena Lopes on UnsplashWe measure energy balance with calories. A calorie is simply a unit of energy, just like a fluid ounce is a measure of volume. You may have heard the claim that “not all calories are created equal” or “calories from healthy foods are different than calories from unhealthy foods”. This is not true. This is like saying that a pound of feathers weighs less than a pound of gold. They are the same, just like a calorie from broccoli is the same as a calorie from sugar. As a unit of energy, a calorie is a calorie.
With that said, different foods can contribute to differential effects within the body that can cause those calories to contribute to weight gain/loss differently. Some foods are more filling than others due to their composition of fiber, protein, and fat. Some calories take more energy to break down and utilize for fuel. Some are simply not absorbed as well in our digestive tract. All these factors can impact how calories from certain foods may impact energy balance. This is where things can get more complicated, but it doesn’t change the simple fact that a calorie is a unit of energy.
So now that we have defined energy balance and discussed how energy balance is measured, let’s dive deeper into the aspects that contribute to energy balance: Energy Expenditure and Energy Intake.
Energy Expenditure and Energy Intake
As discussed above, there are two sides to the energy balance equation:
- Energy expenditure which is the amount of energy that our body uses
- Energy intake is the amount of energy that we absorb into our system
Energy Expenditure is made up of 4 primary components:
- Basal Metabolic rate – The amount of energy that our bodies use at rest to perform normal everyday functions
- Thermic Effect of food – The amount of energy that is required to digest the foods that we eat.
- Exercise Energy Expenditure – This is the amount of energy that we use during formal exercise.
- Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)- This is the amount of energy that our body is expended from all other activities besides exercise.
Out of these 4, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) makes up the highest amount of energy expenditure at approximately 60-75% of total energy expenditure. BMR will vary based on your height, body size, and body composition, and slightly by the number of calories that you are consuming as well (1).
Muscle drives higher resting energy expenditure than fat, so having more muscle mass can increase BMR. But this difference is often overstated as a 1 lb increase in muscle mass equates to approximately 6 additional calories of energy expenditure per day.
A large percentage of our resting energy expenditure is driven by the metabolic activity of our brain, heart, liver, and kidneys, which expend about 110, 90, 200, and 200 calories per lb of organ weight each (2). The size and metabolic activity of these organs are largely outside of our control, but the energy expenditure of these organs can contribute to why some people have higher resting energy expenditure and may find it easier to lose weight than others as well.
The thermic effect of food (TEF) accounts for approximately 10-15% of our total energy expenditure for most people. This value can vary based on the macronutrient composition of the diet, however. A higher protein diet will contribute to higher TEF since the TEF of protein is 20-30%, while carbohydrates is 5-10% and fat is 0-3% (3). TEF is also higher in higher fiber foods vs. lower fiber foods vs. those that are lower in fiber (4).
Exercise energy expenditure and NEAT account for the remainder of total energy expenditure. Of course, these specific percentages that these contribute largely depend on the amount of daily activity and exercise we perform. For example, someone running a marathon would have an exercise energy expenditure that makes up a very large % of total calories, and someone who is bed-ridden will have a very high percentage of their energy expenditure coming from BMR due to little to no energy expenditure coming from activity or exercise.
When it comes to energy intake, that is just calories that we eat and absorb. Fat provides approximately 9 calories of energy per gram, and protein and carbohydrates provide about 4 calories per gram. Within the category of carbohydrates, fiber only provides about 2 calories per gram due to the carbohydrates not being digested and available for absorption. Instead, fiber is broken down by our gut microbiota, and we absorb some energy because of this process in the form of short-chain fatty acids (5).
Every calorie that we ingest doesn’t technically contribute to energy intake due to variations in energy absorption from the food that we eat. We do absorb most of what we ingest, however, some of it is lost in the feces and not absorbed. This amount is usually quite small, around 1-2%, but can reach up to 10% of energy intake, particularly during periods of an energy surplus. The amount that we can extract from food is also impacted by the composition of the food, how well we chew the food, our gut microbiota, food preparation methods, and the composition of the diet, but all these factors usually contribute to minor differences in energy absorption (6).
As you can see, while energy balance does come down to a “simple formula” of calories in vs. calories out, it gets a lot more complicated when we dig into the details. Next, I want to cover why energy balance is an important aspect of nutrition and health.
Why is Energy Balance Important?
There are negative consequences of insufficient and excess energy intake. Insufficient energy intake can result in loss of skeletal muscle mass, reduce bone mineral density, disturbances in hormonal status, fatigue, mental health issues, and more (7).
On the other hand, excess energy intake can lead to excess accumulation of fat in adipose tissue and other organs and high levels of energy circulating in the bloodstream (e.g. glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, etc.), which can contribute to a range of chronic health conditions (8).
This is why it is important to consume the appropriate amounts of energy for your own body to achieve healthy metabolism and support muscle, bone, and hormonal health. Any discussion about energy balance wouldn’t be complete without some discussion about body fat, and body composition. So, in this next section, I want to dive deeper into the topic of “healthy” or “ideal” body fat a bit more and how it relates to health and well-being.
What is A “Healthy” or “Ideal” Body Fat Level?
Photo by Szabolcs Toth on UnsplashThe simple answer to that question is the body fat you are at when you are healthy. Health is about a LOT more than body fat and depends more on your cardiovascular and metabolic health markers (HbA1C, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, hormones, markers of inflammation, etc.) than the amount of fat that you are holding on your body.
There is a range of body fat in which one can be in good health, and there is a level that is too low and a level that is too high. This range varies from person to person due to a variety of factors (genetics, lifestyle habits, etc.). However, the value that has been shown to be associated with the lowest rates of death over time is about 22% for men and 35% for women, according to a recent study (9).
This is quite a bit higher than what most people would consider “healthy”, but the reality is that lower body fat doesn’t necessarily equal better health, as our societal narratives have led many of us to believe. Just like eating too little can have negative health consequences, too little body fat can have negative consequences. This study also isn’t saying that these values are “ideal” but where the lowest risk of death was seen.
The key is paying attention to your own body and health and the way you feel and working to get to a level that works for YOU. A level where you feel properly nourished and where your markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health are in healthy ranges – or best as they can be. Rather than chronically under-eating or over-eating, it is important to strive to be properly nourished appropriately according to our own individual needs.
So how do we figure out what our needs are? This is what we are going to cover in the next section.
How to Figure Out Your Energy Needs
There are several online calculators that apply formulas to predict energy needs. These are not going to be 100% accurate for every person, but they are usually close. The one that I prefer is the NIH body weight planner (NIH body weight planner). I will link a guide in the show notes to help you use it to determine your energy needs if you would like.
From there, you must track your calories very closely for a period while also tracking your weight to really get an accurate determination of your true energy needs. For some people, this value is going to be higher or lower than what the online calculators tell you, so this feedback is what helps determine that accurately.
Tracking Calories
Photo by Rachel Park on UnsplashI don’t think that tracking calories is for everyone, however, I think it can be helpful for most people for a short period of time to understand their energy needs and understand how to follow a dietary pattern that helps them meet those needs consistently.
When tracking, you must be accurate for it to be valuable. A lot of people track, but they don’t weigh/measure their food, they just estimate, and they don’t track small things like bites, licks, sips, etc., which can add up over the day and cause tracking to contribute to more confusion/frustration rather than being helpful. I have met a lot of people who have said, “calorie tracking does work for me, and it’s usually because they approached it the wrong way.
If you are tracking your energy intake closely and tracking your body weight, that will allow you to get a much better sense of what your true energy needs are. You can track via any popular app, such as MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, and there are also smart scales that directly link to apps as well that can be used for tracking purposes.
Weight Loss, Gain, and Maintenance
If you track meticulously for a period and you are losing weight, then that will tell you, that you are in a deficit if you gain, then you are in a surplus, and if you stay stable, then you are eating at maintenance.
It has long been stated that 3,500 calories of either a deficit or surplus is required to lose or gain weight. However, new research is showing that this model isn’t entirely accurate, and it’s more complicated than a simple 3,500-calorie value (10). Weight loss tends to require less of a deficit in the early stages, and when someone has high amounts of body fat to lose and more of a deficit after some fat has been lost, there is less to lose.
As I mentioned before, how much we eat tends to impact our energy expenditure in various ways. When we eat less, our BMR can slow down a bit, and our brain can send subconscious signals throughout our body to even reduce unconscious NEAT as well. On the other hand, when we eat more, our BMR can increase, and our brain can send signals to increase NEAT.
How our specific body responds to a deficit or surplus can be a primary factor that determines our body weight and keeps us at what some people refer to as a “set point”. The set point is the weight that our body will naturally equalize at. For some people, that set point is high, and when they eat and exercise, their body does not compensate with extra physical activity, nor does it do a good job of reducing their desire to eat more, and they can gain weight a lot more easily.
For others eating in a surplus is accompanied by large increases in energy expenditure, increases in fecal energy loss, and very little increase in body weight. This is evidenced by a study published in 1990 that took identical twins and kept them in a facility for over 3 months and overfed them 1,000 calories per day, and weight gain was 3-fold higher in some twin pairs vs. others – 10 pounds vs. 30+ pounds for others (11).
The same can happen with exercise. A similar study of twins who were kept in a very controlled environment and were prescribed 1,000 calories of exercise per day showed an over 7-fold variation in weight loss (12). For some people exercising more will drive weight loss due to the added energy expenditure, and for others, no weight loss will occur due to compensation in NEAT to adjust for the extra energy expenditure from intentional exercise (13).
All of this is to say that yes, energy balance is calories in vs. calories out, but there is a range of factors that can impact either side of this equation that makes weight loss (and gain in some cases) much more difficult in actual practice. These are some of the reasons why weight loss (or weight gain) can feel impossible for some people and why it can lead to lots of frustration. Our bodies have several mechanisms that can come into play when we try to shift energy balance toward a negative or positive direction to keep our weight from changing.
Now, we are going to discuss some common myths and misconceptions about weight loss:
Weight Loss Myths and Misconceptions
Photo by Diana Polekhina on UnsplashMyth 1: If You Eat Too Little, Your Body Will Go Into Starvation Mode and Gain Fat - As we discussed above, your body can adapt to a lower calorie intake by reducing basal metabolic rate and reducing the amount of NEAT that you are getting. However, these adaptations are not so large that the body will start to store fat while someone is eating a very small number of calories. What often happens is someone feels like they are “starving” because they are eating very few calories and their body is adapting, but they are often also bingeing occasionally leading to an overall calorie surplus that can contribute to what can feel like very high levels of weight loss resistance.
Myth 2: Hormones Are The Primary Factor Responsible for Weight Loss - Various hormones can play a role in regulating both appetite and energy expenditure, thereby influencing weight loss. Hormones themselves do not dictate energy balance, but they can impact energy balance by acting impacting energy expenditure or intake. Except in extreme cases, this effect is usually not very large, and rarely are hormones alone a major influence in driving weight gain (14).
Myth 3: Low-Carb or Low-Fat Diets Are Superior for Weight Loss - Studies that have compared low carbohydrate vs. low-fat diets have shown mixed results. Some studies show minor benefits for those following low-carb diets, some show benefits for those following low-fat diets, and some show similar outcomes (14-17).
The truth is most effective diet is the one that you are going to be able to adhere to, so rather than focusing on which is best, instead, focus on how you prefer eating and start there. Then if you wanted to follow a lower fat or lower carbohydrate approach to see if it offered any benefit, you could try it, but I don’t recommend getting caught up in a single approach, but rather finding what works for you.
Myth 4: Eating More Meals Helps “Boost Metabolism” - While it is true that infrequent meal patterns are associated with weight gain and greater health risks, the idea that eating 6 meals per day “boosts metabolism” is largely a myth. Instead of focusing on eating frequent small meals, it is best to focus on getting into a regular meal pattern that works best for your schedule and ideally includes a filling breakfast and at least two other filling and nutritious meals spread throughout the day (18).
Myth 5: Intermittent Fasting Has Special Weight Loss Effect - When calories are equated, practicing intermittent fasting, doesn’t seem to have any special benefit for improving body composition. For many people, sticking to a shorter eating window (e.g. eating all of your food within a 10-hour period and fasting 14 hours each day) can help maintain a reduced energy intake, which makes it a potentially useful energy management tool. However, the popular approach of skipping breakfast seems to be a suboptimal approach. Studies have shown that an approach called early time-restricted feeding, where you consume most of your calories in the morning and cut off energy intake early in the evening, is the approach that is likely to provide the most benefits (19).
Myth 6: Fat-Burning Supplements Can Assist With Weight Loss - There is no benefit from the use of “fat-burning” supplements, and some of these agents can have potentially dangerous side effects (20). Focus instead on diet, exercise, and lifestyle strategies, and if you need additional support for weight loss to improve health, working with a physician to consider some of the new weight loss medications is going to be the best strategy.
Summary
Energy balance is a function of our energy expenditure and intake and is an important aspect for our health. While body fat can be a contributing factor to health, it is not the most important factor, and individuals can be metabolically healthy at higher body fat percentages than what societal norms often dictate. Nevertheless, consuming the appropriate amounts of energy is something that all of us can benefit from.
While the concept of energy balance and weight loss is simple, in practice creating energy deficits, or surpluses is impacted by several factors that are often outside of our conscious control and may require careful attention and greater levels of effort for some. It does come down to managing energy intake and increasing expenditure, but that can often be much more challenging in practice than it sounds on paper due to our body’s adaptive mechanisms that can often impede attempts to modify our body weight.
At the end of the day, understanding your energy needs, how to meet those needs, and how various factors may be impacting changes in body weight are important for long-term body weight maintenance. I hope this blog post gave you some insight into this topic.
If you would like to dive deeper into this topic and get some help putting it into practice, you might want to consider signing up for my Fundamentals of Healthy Fat Loss Course. This course is the practical application aspect of this topic and includes extensive information about fat loss, muscle mass retention, exercise training, and more. I am offering a limited-time $50 discount for readers of this blog post. Click here for more info.
If you would like to support the work that we produce, consider making a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter below:
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3302369/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980962/
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Saturated fats are another topic that has stirred up controversy in the field of nutrition for quite some time.
The government recommends limiting saturated fat consumption to less than 10% of total energy intake to reduce the risk of heart disease, but there is a growing number of people encouraging the consumption of more saturated fat...
Who is right?
Just like with any topic, there is a lot more nuance that needs to be added to this discussion, and in this article, we will get into more detail about:
- Saturated fat types and where they are found in foods
- How different fatty types have different biological effects
- Evidence of the role of saturated fat on various health outcomes
- Practical considerations for your saturated fat intake
What is a Saturated Fat?
Photo by Frank Zhang on UnsplashSaturated fats are one of the two major classifications of dietary fats. There are unsaturated fats which are comprised of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats and then there are saturated fats.
These classifications are based on chemical properties, not health value. Saturated fats have no double bonds on their carbon chain and tend to be solid at room temperature (although some saturated fats can be liquid such as coconut oil
Unsaturated fats have at least 1 double bond on their carbon chain. Monounsaturated fats have only 1 double bond, and polyunsaturated fats have more than 1 double bond. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.
Each of these groups can be further broken down into several subgroups and dozens of individual fatty acids which we will discuss a bit more later.
We have discussed a specific type of polyunsaturated fats, the Omega-3 fats in episode #6 of the podcast which you can find here.
We will likely discuss Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats in more depth in future episodes of the podcast, We will also cover them a bit here, because many studies compare saturated fats to other fat sources, but the focus of the show today will be on saturated fats.
First, let’s get more into the types of saturated fats, how they impact metabolic and cardiovascular health, and how to make practical decisions about your saturated fat consumption.
Types of Saturated Fatty Acids
As I mentioned above saturated fats are classified based on their chemical structure.Within this group of fats there are different fatty acids that have different carbon chain lengths, these are generally split further into, short, medium, and long chain saturated fats.
- Short chain = 2-6 carbons
- Medium chain = 6-12 carbons
- Long Chain 13-21 carbons
Saturated Fatty Acids in the Human Diet
Photo by Szabo Viktor on Unsplash- Stearic acid: 18 carbon atoms long – Beef Tallow, Lard, Butter, Chocolate
- Palmitic acid: 16 carbon atoms long – Primary fat in meat and dairy and palm oil, and also ¼ of fat in chocolate, and a smaller % of the fat in olive oil
- Pentadecylic acid – 15 carbons long – Found primarily in dairy fat, but makes up a small % of it
- Myristic acid: 14 carbon atoms long – ~15% of FA in Coconut oil and palm oil, ~10% in butter, 2-4% in beef and lamb.
- Lauric acid: 12 carbon atoms long- Primary fat source in coconut and palm oil.
- Capric acid: 10 carbon atoms long - MCTs found in palm, coconut oil, and dairy.
- Caprylic acid: 8 carbon atoms long - MCTs found in palm, coconut oil, and dairy.
- Caproic acid: 6 carbon atoms long - MCTs found in palm, coconut oil, and dairy.
There are also SCFAs that have shorter carbon length, which include butyric acid, propionic acid, and acetic acid. These are primarily formed by microbes in our intestines when they break down fibers and carbohydrates that we don’t digest well. These fatty acids are thought to have several positive health promoting effects and are thought to be responsible for some of the beneficial effects of fiber consumption. We can get also get a small amount from butter and other dairy products, but it is a very small % of the total fatty acid content of these foods (1).
Short and medium chain fatty acids are metabolically different than long chain fatty acids due to their smaller structure. These fats can be absorbed into the bloodstream without being packaged into triglycerides and chylomicrons, which is how other fatty acids are absorbed and transported. For this reason medium chain fatty acids are a more readily available source of energy, They are also more easily converted into ketones in the liver than other fatty acids. Ketones can provide an alternative fuel source to glucose for the brain so they can provide energy when blood sugar levels are low (2).
The most common dietary medium chain fatty acid is the 12-carbon fat, lauric acid which is the primary fat in coconut and palm oil. These oils also have small amounts (10%) of caprylic, capric, and caproic acid as well, and dairy dairy also contains small amounts of each of the MCFAs with under 5% of total fatty acids coming from capric, caprylic, and caproic acid (3).
The longer chain saturated fatty acids include the 14 carbon myristic acid which can be found in coconut and palm oil and to a lesser extent dairy fats, the “odd chain fats” which are the 15 and 17 carbon fatty acids that are mostly found in dairy foods and the 16 and 18 carbon fats that are the primary fats in meat, tallow, lard, and butter. Palm oil is also rich in the 16 carbon saturated fat palmitic acid and chocolate is rich in both the 16 and 18 carbon saturated fatty acids.
The Role of Saturated Fats in Health
Photo by Online Marketing on UnsplashThis is a general overview of the types of saturated fats and their food sources It’s important to note that every food contains a mix of fatty acids, not just one specific type of fat. Also, each food is made up of several types of fats including saturated and unsaturated sources in many cases.
So, when we want to consider the impact of saturated fat on health, I think that it is more practical to consider the impact of various food sources of saturated fat on health outcomes vs. looking at it from the perspective of individual fatty acids. For example, chocolate saturated fat vs. dairy saturated fat, etc.
In many studies these are all lumped together as total saturated fat, but some studies have separated different sources of saturated fats which has helped provide greater insight into this topic.
So now let’s discuss the studies that look at the relationship between saturated fat and health outcomes.
As you all should know by now, I like to focus on large studies that look at major health outcomes and study was recently published by the World Health Organization titled: “Saturated fat and trans-fat intakes and their replacement with other macronutrients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies”.
The study compiled the results from 112 publications that included almost 3.7 million people. The authors reported a 15% lower risk of death from any cause for replacing 5% of total energy intake from saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, a 15% reduction from replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, and an 8% reduction for replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates (4).
These results are similar to those reported in a 2020 study from Kim and colleagues that showed a 5% reduction in risk of all-cause mortality with 5% increased consumption of polyunsaturated fats and also slightly higher risk of death from any cause and cardiovascular disease (3% each) and a 9% increased risk of death from cancer when comparing the highest vs. lowest intakes (5).
This is a consistent finding across studies. Greater consumption of total saturated fat is associated with higher risk of death from any cause and death from heart disease. There are some studies that do not show this outcome, but usually they are in unique populations, such as countries where saturated fat consumption is low. In these cases it is usually because the people eating the highest amounts of saturated fats in those studies are consuming much less than 10% of their diet and they aren’t reaching a threshold that would confer risk.
However, when we examine different sources of saturated fats, we get a different picture. For example, we don’t really see a relationship between dairy fats and any negative health outcomes (6. 7) and data from biomarker studies actually suggest that the “odd-chain saturated fats in dairy may have protective health effects (8).
Another saturated fat source that seems to offer unique effects is chocolate. A 2019 umbrella review on the health effects of chocolate showed that chocolate consumption as associated with reductions in risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes (9). Pure chocolate is made up of mostly saturated fats, but also includes some fiber and is a rich source of a class of micronutrients called flavonoids that may be responsible for its protective effects.
When we look at the bigger picture we can conclude generally that high saturated fat consumption can carry a slight increase in risk for death from any cause and heart disease, but the primary concern is likely saturated fats coming from meat. This may partially explain why red meat consumption has been associated with slightly higher rates of mortality (10).
Individual Variability in Response to Saturated Fat Consumption
An important point to note is that many of the negative health consequences from meat consumption is attributed to their ability to raise LDL cholesterol levels. Through a variety of mechanisms saturated fats can increase cholesterol levels and those from meat, eggs, and butter have a more pronounced effect than butter, and those MCFAs from coconut have an even lower impact (11, 12).
One of the reasons that there may be more controversy around this topic is due to the large inter-individual variation in response to dietary saturated fat consumption. There have been 14 genetic variants identified that can impact the response to dietary saturated fat consumption (13). So one person might experience a significant increase in LDL when they eat more saturated fat and another may experience no increase at all.
Therefore, the long-term risk of consuming higher amounts of saturated fats likely partially varies from individual to individual based on LDL responsiveness to saturated fat consumption.
Short Term Feeding Studies
There are also several studies that have shown negative effects of consuming high amounts of saturated fats in short term feeding trials.
For example, one study published in 2014 overfed participants either sunflower oil or palm oil for a period of 7 weeks and found that the palm oil increased visceral and liver fat accumulation relative to the sunflower oil (14).
Another study compared the effects of consuming butter, high PUFA margarine and walnuts, a high MUFA margarine and almonds, or a crackers and jam condition for a period of 2 weeks while controlling the rest of the diet.
This study showed deterioration in flow mediated dilation, an assessment of the blood vessels ability to dilate, along with an increase in several markers of inflammation in the butter group relative to the other groups (15).
These findings are also supported by a 2018 study that overfed participants either a combination of saturated fats, unsaturated fats, or simple sugars for a period of 3 weeks and found that the saturated fat condition contributed to increased insulin resistance and liver fat accumulation to a greater degree than the other conditions (16).
A proposed mechanism of this effect is the activation of inflammatory responses by various saturated fats particularly palmitic acid and lauric acid (17, 18)
Should You Limit Saturated Fat in Your Diet?
Photo by Outcast India on UnsplashI know this is a lot to take in, so let’s conclude with some practical takeaways.
- Saturated fats are a diverse group of fats found in a variety of different foods, including meat, dairy, coconut, and dark chocolate.
- On a population level, consumption of total saturated fats is associated with minor increases in risk of death from any cause, heart disease, and cancer.
- This association appears to be specific to saturated fats in meat, not those found in dairy or chocolate, and is likely mediated by LDL cholesterol levels
- Saturated fats can also promote inflammation at high levels, particularly those rich in meat, palm, and coconut oil.
- Limiting consumption of saturated fat from non-chocolate sources is probably a good idea, particularly if you are someone who has high LDL cholesterol
- Dietary guidelines to limit saturated fat consumption to less than 10% of total calories is likely a good idea for most people
- Focus should be on limiting saturated fat from palm oil, meat, butter, and to a lesser extent, coconut and dairy fat, but not chocolate.
Citations and Sources:
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When it comes to Latine cuisine, it's often characterized by its broad spectrum of flavors and ingredients, including succulent meats, protein-rich legumes, and the creamy delight of cheeses. This palette of tastes creates a culinary experience that's diverse, indulgent, and inherently satisfying. However, the tapestry of Latine cooking has always been more multifaceted than it appears, with a history steeped in an array of plant-based meals.
Today, a renewed emphasis on these plant-forward traditions is emerging, shining a spotlight on the plant-based dimension of Latine cuisine. This evolving landscape is placing pioneering Latina chefs and restaurateurs center stage, as they bring a fresh approach to our time-honored culinary heritage.
While this trend may seem modern, it is deeply rooted in our culinary history. Latin American cooking has always made significant use of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, creating dishes that are naturally rich in flavor and nutrition. Latina chefs today are drawing on these traditions, creating innovative, plant-based reinterpretations of classic dishes and proving that Latine cuisine has always been about more than just meat.
The rise of plant-based diets is a global phenomenon, driven by growing awareness of health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns. While Latin American cuisine, with its array of flavors and ingredients, is perfectly positioned to capitalize on this trend, how are chefs navigating the challenge of honoring tradition while embracing innovation?
Meet the Latina Pioneers in Plant-Based Cuisine
Chef Wendy Garcia, the owner and chef of Tumerico and La Chaiteria, based in Tucson, Arizona, has become a beacon for plant-based Latine cuisine. Garcia's approach to food is not just healthy but also deeply personal and rooted in her upbringing. She takes pride in making everything from scratch and frequently updates her menu based on available local produce. Her dishes, like vegan enchiladas and jackfruit posole, are not just popular among the vegan community, but they also attract those curious about the flavors of plant-based Latine cuisine.
Cecilia Flores, one half of the husband-wife duo behind Coco Verde Vegan, an Afro-Latina vegan catering business in Boston, brings a unique fusion of Latine and soul food to the Boston vegan scene. With their focus on Dominican cuisine, Flores and her team introduce diners to a variety of creative plant-based dishes. Their popular menu items include vegan mofongo and sancocho, showcasing their skill in maintaining the heart and soul of traditional dishes while embracing plant-based ingredients.
Jasmine Hernandez Cecilia, the creative force behind Chicana Vegana in Fullerton, California, is championing a culinary revolution with her plant-based twists on Mexican-American classics. Born and raised in Southern California, Jasmine's unique culinary perspective blends her Mexican heritage with her passion for veganism. She takes pride in reimagining beloved favorites without compromising on taste or authenticity. Whether it's her tantalizing vegan 'Carne' Asada Fries, 'Pollo' Verde Wet Burritos, or Jackfruit 'Carnitas' Tacos, Jasmine proves that plant-based alternatives can deliver the same satisfaction and complexity as their traditional counterparts.
What's Next For Plant-Based Latine Cuisine?
For these culinary innovators, the challenge isn't just about replacing meat with vegetables—it's about recreating the distinctive tastes, textures, and aromas that define Latine cuisine. It involves a creative balancing act: honoring the richness of their culinary heritage while meeting the growing demand for plant-based alternatives.
But the rise of plant-based Latine cuisine is about more than just adapting to new dietary preferences. It's about showcasing the vast potential of Latin American ingredients, many of which are naturally plant-based and rich in flavor. It's about celebrating the diversity of the Latine culinary tradition, while making it accessible and appealing to a broader audience.
As we look toward the future, these pioneering Latina chefs are showing us that tradition and innovation can coexist harmoniously on a plate, redefining our perceptions of Latine cuisine and opening our palates to exciting new flavors. Join us as we explore this burgeoning culinary frontier, one delicious, plant-based dish at a time.
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